As I Come to Reassure You, and it All Shifts
by AnHeiressofaSOLDIER
Summary: The Leroux characters in the Kingdom Hearts universe. Just before the second Keyblade War starts, Christine is able to find some much-needed Light via Raoul's kind demeanor. No KH knowledge needed to necessarily understand this story. RC, with some slight EC if you squint.


**Author's Note: A Raoul and Christine story taking place within the Kingdom Hearts universe. I'm praying that you guys won't need to have played that massive series to understand this (as I'm going to do my best to explain the main concepts of it here, and so hopefully you won't need to get every little detail to comprehend this story), but it's still going to be a bumpy ride. Fasten your seatbelts, everyone.**

 **Let's start at the beginning. A long time ago, in the KH universe, there was a single and glorious world bathed in Light. The source of that Light was known as Kingdom Hearts, and it was guarded by its counter part the X-Blade (pronounced "Key-blade").**

 **Unfortunately, the good times weren't meant to last, however, as everyone began fighting over the Light (in wanting to keep it for themselves), and they did this by forging man made copies of the X-Blade, known as "Keyblades", and Darkness was born in their hearts.**

 **The Darkness in their hearts ended up swallowing Kingdom Hearts, and the X-Blade itself was shattered into twenty pieces: thirteen of Darkness and seven of Light (which later found themselves in the hearts of people: but we'll get to that later), and the entire world was lost.**

 **BUT small fragments of Light survived in the hearts of children, and with those fragments of Light they rebuilt the lost world (this is the Princesses of Heart, that we will also get to later, pretty much acting as a new Kingdom Hearts here).**

 **The world was different this time, though, as it wasn't one giant world, but many small worlds divided from each other (most of them being different movies from the Disney canon, that the characters go to in the games). And for the most part, it became impossible to travel between them (also, the new worlds all have Darkness in them, as do most people's hearts at this point… the Realm of Light became tainted by the Keyblade War, pretty much).**

 **Anyway, a millennia past, and most of the stuff about the Keyblade War then came to be seen as a fairytale. Nothing else. And most people on their different worlds don't even know that anything even exists outside of their home.**

 **But the surviving Keyblade wielders of it (and the ones they'd pass that power onto) decided then and there that they would use their man-made weapons to do whatever it took to protect the worlds now, so that the world would never be lost again: these became the first heroes of the Keyblade.**

 **Fast-forward some years, and the main villain of this saga (Xehanort, but he will be Philippe in this) is trying to recreate the Keyblade War. He's a bit of a scientist, you see, so he's curious about what would happen if another Keyblade War were to take place.**

 **Because of this, he's tried numerous ways to get—and destroy?—Kingdom Hearts throughout the series, but our heroes have stopped him at every turn—traveling to many worlds to do so (the ability to do so coming from the Keyblade: an instrument of the heart, that very few are chosen to wield and has many capabilities).**

 **He's trying this once again, though, and this time it looks as though he will succeed. His plan is to have his Thirteen Darknesses and the Seven Lights (our heroes, who have fragments of the X-Blade inside their hearts, just as the Thirteen Darknesses do) to clash and re-forge the X-Blade.**

 **And if our heroes DON'T agree to this? He has another plan up his sleeve, too. He'll just target the Princesses of Heart (who make up all the Light in the world, and are the "new" Kingdom Hearts, so to speak) and use THEM to make the X-Blade instead.**

 **Quite the Catch 22 for our heroes, huh? For if something is to happen to the Princesses of Heart, the world will be lost once again. In which case, it looks as though the Lights will HAVE to fight, and pray that they are the ones who will get control over the X-Blade.**

 **So, yeah: that's the basic premise for this story. But I will touch on a few other things to hopefully make this all clearer for you guys.**

 **Okay, first off, let's talk about the heart: the heart in Kingdom Hearts is not the blood pumping organ that we all know it to be, but rather more your emotions. The best way to put it is that it's your spirit, your identity, and that which makes up who you are.**

 **It is also through the heart that the Keyblade gets its power, and that you can even be chosen to have one in the first place (in fact, the Keyblade almost seems to be your heart in weapon form…), so if you see the term "heart" in this story, that's mostly what I'm probably talking about (I also feel like I should talk about the Keyblade some here, but I don't think I'm going to. Hopefully you guys knowing the basics of it will be enough here.).**

 **The Princesses of Heart: As I said above, these are the seven children who rebuilt the lost world with the Lights in their hearts, and who are essentially the "new" Kingdom Hearts. Most of these women are ladies from the Disney canon (and, yes: most of them ARE princesses, hence the name), and Christine in this story is one of them. She's also a Keyblade wielder… She's basically KH's "Kairi" in this sense, as Kairi's the only person in all of KH who is both one of the Seven Lights, AND a Princess of Heart.**

" **But wait," you say, "if the Princesses of Heart have been holding up the worlds for an uncountable amount of years, why haven't they aged or died yet?" The answer to that, dear readers, is most likely either the powers of the Princesses is passed onto other people when they die, or that they're all simply reincarnated. I think the latter is the most likely explanation, personally.**

 **Oh! And the thing most important about the PoH? They have absolutely no Darkness in their hearts, and never will be able to carry any. They're the only ones in the multiverse who are like this, and they are pure Light through and through.**

 **One more thing, and then I'm done, I swear. I talk a bit about the "Sixth Foreteller" in here (one of the people who existed during the first Keyblade War, and is probably the main reason why it even happened). Mainly in that a lot of people theorize that Xehanort isn't actually acting completely on his own in canon, but is being influenced by this ancient Keyblade wielder (something I believe, honestly, and it's something that comes up in this story, even). There's a bit more to it than that (with crazy thing such as time travel and the Book of Prophecies, but I don't think you guys need EVERY single detail about this series of nine games to understand this story (I hope), so I'll leave it at that.**

 **With that, you have now had your crash course in KH, and we can move onto this actual tale. Thank God. LOL.**

 **As I Come to Reassure You, and it All Shifts**

A sad smile on the blonde girl—Christine Daaé's—face, as she looked over a certain chess match, beginning to lose all hope.

She knew that this tournament would determine the fate of the world—and that therefore she should have been more spirited, because heroes always won, didn't they?—but it wasn't exactly an easy thing to cheer Erik on.

The afore mentioned man—with a heavily scarred and disfigured face: something he never stopped telling Christine about; honestly, she sometimes had to wonder how he could be on the side of the Light at all, with all that complaining he did, but anyway—wore a French-styled beret, as he picked up a rook and examined it contemplatively.

And Christine—even with how much she knew was hanging in the balance, and even with how happy she was to be one of the seven Guardians of Light—couldn't put aside her impatience, when she childishly stomped her foot and demanded, "Are either of you anywhere close to being done? I thought this battle was to be had on an actual field, not in a game that I still think is better left to children."

If Christine hoped that her question would set their adversary, Philippe off his game, she was sadly mistaken.

For growling ever so slightly—and turning around in his chair to shoot her a look— _Erik_ seemingly became quite distracted himself, as he just barely got out in baritones, "We do this now, Christine, so that both of our sides have a better chance of reaching their goal when the appointed time comes.

"And perhaps it is even better for some people that we do this now, so that they do not fall down face-first when they're met with something real for a change, hmm? If it's something you cannot handle, then leave us and we shall rendezvous back at the Tower later."

Oh, she'd most definitely infuriated Erik, hadn't she, Christine notices belatedly?

And once again, she had to wonder if he was really even on her side at all, as there had to be a plethora of insults aimed at her just in that one snide remark of his.

And though Christine didn't want to admit it, the fact was that Erik has greatly hurt her feelings now, and she had no doubt that the one he was talking about messing up was her: she was new to training with her Keyblade and all.

Sniffling—as she began to step away from the little café where the two men were having their super important preliminaries, the girl was just about to heed to Erik's wishes and head back to the Mysterious Tower (greatly regretting this failed attempt to get to know Erik better now)—when she ended up running into _him_.

Later, Christine would realize how insane it was that she had met Raoul when Erik and Philippe—their number one adversary and Raoul's brother, even—were duking it out, but at the moment the meeting had occurred, she could only relish in the fact that someone had caught her in their arms: right when she'd thought she was about to go headlong into one of the beams supporting the awning above them.

"Whoa there, Miss. You're… you're Christine Daaé, are you not? I seem to recall Master Valérius referring to you that way, I mean," the kind voice—much kinder than Christine had ever heard, actually, and so very fitting of its title of "Light"—said to her, as he began looking her over for any injuries on her part:

That was instantly something that made Christine's heart begin to beat a mile a minute, for she thought for sure everyone would be _expecting_ her to get hurt in the upcoming skirmish—and therefore think nothing of it—so the fact that this stranger seemed so concerned for her really speaks volumes of his character, Christine thought.

"Umm... yes I am," Christine quickly stuttered, when she reclaimed her wits about her. "And you must be Raoul de Chagny, I presume?"

Really, the way that he looked so similar to Philippe—and was now mostly focused on him—gave it away entirely.

And with a newfound sadness in her heart, Christine had to wonder what had served to drive such a wedge between the two brothers and their ideals.

As if to answer that question, Raoul began striding over to Philippe with an injured expression on his face, the like of which Christine had never seen before.

He made sure to pat her on the arm comfortingly before he left her side, though, and then Christine was swift to follow him closer to the area she'd just vacated.

…If Raoul had acted caring towards her, then she wanted to be the same towards him, in whatever this was that he was facing now.

"Summon your Keyblade to hand now, brother, and run it through my heart, I pray you. You've all ready done the deed sentimentally, so why not physically as well? Give up this farce of a truth with Erik, and let us end this here and now."

Philippe sighed gravely at that particular turn of events, and it seemed to Christine that this was probably more what the man—when _not_ devoid of Light—was usually like. Perhaps she was now even getting a glance into the soul that Raoul had seen growing up as a child...

Something at once as humbling as it was horrifying, for Christine remembered well all the horrors Philippe had brought about: all told to her by her Master Valérius.

"I, dear brother," Philippe admonished Raoul, while Erik began laughing outright.

Scowling at both those men now, Christine put a hand atop Raoul's shoulder—feeling a bit too forward in doing so, but he seemed about to fall over if she didn't do it—and looked at Philippe with hate-filled eyes.

Apparently, this man had kidnapped her when she was a child; he'd also had many plans to turn her into the X-Blade, Christine had heard. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, and usually Christine was a very trusting creature.

And now… now she, too, found herself dreaming of going back to the Master's home and finishing training. Anything would be better than this...

Maybe if she implored to Raoul he would go with her, and-

"I have not forgotten the social graces that were ingrained in us as children, as you seem to have. And as you know, I've always loved a good game of chess, and so I will enjoy this one with Erik, when you finally do us the favor of leaving."

Raoul looked livid now, Christine noted, and she had no doubt that he was about to summon his Keyblade—or perhaps the Blade would sense the impending situation, very much like Christine's own was, and come into fruition of its own accord—but before this could happen, Christine put herself between the two quarrelling men, and ended up finding a certain strength and wisdom that she was surprised to have.

"And why would you want us to leave, good sir?" Christine asked Philippe suspiciously: subtly insulting the man through her words, just as much as Erik had done her before: perhaps she had learnt something worthwhile from spending some time with him, after all.

"You need all seven of us Lights, and your thirteen Darknesses, to get what you want. Unless you've lied about that, and have found a way to forge the Keyblade of legend with just you and Erik here, perhaps. In which case, Monsieur de Chagny and I will be staying right here."

"Christine..." Raoul spoke, with awe in his voice—no doubt seeing that she might have just unearthed a secret plan of theirs...

Or one of Philippe's, anyway. For in the exact moment that Christine had said such a thing, Erik had scooted his chair as far away from Philippe as humanly possible; it was as if he was saying he wasn't in league with that man at all.

And Christine did have to admit that it seemed unlikely that Erik would allow _anyone_ to have much of a position of authority over him.

The ruby colored rook, however, was still very much clutched in Erik's hand, and Christine couldn't help but to peer at it curiously.

"There's something wrong with our dear assailant here," Erik began talking for the first time since Raoul had showed up on the scene, startling both the mild-mannered girl and the usually mild-mannered boy very much so.

"That is to say," Erik continued on, the cogs in his head clearly turning, as a certain glaze seemed to settle into his eyes. "This man before us seems less threatening than a ballerina. Much more imposing than his spineless little brother, I dare say.

"And, of course, his being able to best you in a fight goes without saying, dear Christine, but didn't Master Valérius' stories seem to paint Monster Philippe in a much worse way than what we are seeing now? I seem to recall that, anyway."

And before anyone gathered could even begin trying to decipher what that meant—not even Philippe himself, if Christine's new suspicion about him was right—the man leapt from his seat, summoned a Dark portal, and was gone faster than Christine had been able to summon her Keyblade to throw at him.

In the end, it _did_ end up going through the Corridor after the man, but as the charm on _Singer Learns Scythe_ compelled it to return to Christine's hand without a moment's hesitation, it really did no good at all, and…

None of the three gathered could guess at all where Philippe might have gone. And nor did they really have any more information on him from when they'd started.

But it was when Christine saw Erik moving the rook he still carried back and forth between his hands, like one might pass a ball between them when playing at sports, that Christine put her earlier thoughts into words:

"You think... you think someone else's heart has overpowered his, don't you, Erik? That he was a puppet before, but is now beginning to break free?"

And if the type of mess the Foretellers had made in the past was any indication, the Princess of Heart had a pretty good idea on who the puppet master undoubtedly was, but she dared not speak it.

Raoul, in particular, seemed very unsettled, and quickly donned his own Keyblade— _Light Protector in a Somewhat Muted Darkness_ —to make a Light pathway that they could all traverse through.

He hurried on before Erik or Christine could easily follow him (though he did spare Christine one look of thanks, for perhaps being on the ball when it had come to Philippe, but also being very much gracious about the whole thing), and so then the blonde found herself wondering which the worse fate would be:

Knowing that your loved one had gone insane and was trying to bring about the apocalypse, or knowing that they were a victim—still alive in there, and no doubt kicking and screaming—and that there might be no way at all to save them?

...

"You think that the Sixth Foreteller might be pulling at Philippe's strings?" Master Valérius asked Christine incredulously, as everyone else around her looked on her much the same way... even Raoul and Erik, for they apparently hadn't begun thinking about the Foretellers' role in everything just yet.

"Christine, my dear, you have been gifted by the Light—and I daresay you're the most special one of any of us here—so perhaps you _are_ seeing something that I cannot, but what made you jump to _this_ conclusion, exactly?"

And oddly enough, it was the fact that Meg was gaping at her—seeming just as unsure of her ideas as the rest were—that made Christine feel the most insecure about her thoughts at the moment.

Female Keyblade wielders... were still very much a rare thing, and she and Meg were the only ones even _in_ the role: a role that no one—not even themselves—was quite sure they deserved.

It was for this reason that Christine—and she was sure that Meg sometimes did it, too—sometimes pretended that she didn't know as much as the other Lights, but now wasn't the time for such things.

Now she needed to lay all her cards on the table, and let the chips fall where they may: "The fact that the sixth Foreteller didn't get a Tome of Prophecy was probably an insult to his ego, and may have even begun a god complex in him, I think. For that reason alone—if he _is_ the one controlling Philippe—it might explain why he learned to time travel through that man: to make up for not being gifted the knowledge of future events before.

"And wasn't the Sixth Foreteller trying to do, a millennia ago, what Philippe exactly is now?"

"And Philippe once told me he has the oldest Keyblade in existence, and that its former will has somewhat been passed down to him," Raoul cut in, trying to aid Christine's theory—something that she smiled at him gratefully for, as the rest of the students crowded closer to them and Master Valérius' table now… as well as the skull-shaped candle that rested there—though he looked all kinds of heartbroken while doing so. "I think that she _must_ be right, Master."

And now the others were openly gawking at them both, Christine noticed with alarm.

Erik, however, had a pretty uninterested expression about it all (though there seemed to be a distant emotion in his face that he was trying desperately to hide from them, maybe); and Meg seemed to be thinking that something between the two of them was old news, but...

There were some other interesting looks, too, Christine saw (though she was trying hard not to)—like how the Daroga seemed to be all too easily sizing them up like no one else could, and how Master Valérius seemed to be very much the same way as him.

But what surprised Christine most of all? Her father—also one of the Lights—was eyeing her as though she'd finally found the kind of person that he'd been hoping she would all along.

The newest Keyblade wielder blushed outright at this—purposefully turning away from Raoul then—and tried to remind herself that there was a War going on, so she really shouldn't have been sweating the little things.

Still... she couldn't help but gaze at Raoul, and to wonder.

...

Christine didn't end up thinking of Raoul for a long time after that, though.

Or, to be more precise, she didn't consider him more than she considered her other fellow Lights.

Mainly it was because she was so focused on her training—her training with all of the recruits, and the Master, so that she could learn their fighting styles and have a better chance when her own time to shine came—that she hadn't the time for anything else.

But eventually—when it seemed like Philippe had grown tired of waiting, and was now planning on targeting the other Princesses of Heart to succeed in his goals, if the Lights weren't ready to meet them—Christine ended up having a moment with Raoul again.

It came into fruition, as she sat on the steps that led into the tower, wondering if she should go hide—since Philippe would clearly be coming after her now—or try to face everything head-on.

And Raoul, as he came down the stairs after she had—to go and gather the other Princesses himself—ended up making the decision for her.

"Christine," the man began, gently placing a hand atop her shoulder—so as to not startle her by his sudden appearance—as he took a moment to sit down beside her.

Somewhere to the north of them both, squirrels began playing in the lush bushes—making it almost sound like the wind, or something like it, was rustling right beside them—but neither gave it any attention, as Raoul continued on with the most important line of thought at the moment:

"I... I must apologize for all that my brother plans to put you through. It can be no easy thing being both a Princess of Heart _and_ one of the Seven Lights, but I...

"I wonder if you'd perhaps accompany in escorting your fellow Princesses here? Them seeing someone as strong as you are might issue some morale and hope within them, and so-"

If she had let the situation catch up with her then, Christine knew that she would have been fearful and hesitant in that moment. She would have worried about Philippe reaching her while they were out in the Lanes Between—and nabbing her then and there, without her even having some of the others with her to try and help her—but with Raoul?

He seemed to inspire within Christine some of the stories and Light she'd known as a child—the Light that she actually helped to make up, though she often times forgot it—and so she had no trouble drawing on some of that youth now as he approached her, and to giggle out, "Raoul, I believe you only want me with you because the Rat Catcher was such a bad companion for you in the gummi ship last time."

And with the term "bad companion", what Christine really meant was that the man had almost served in catching their ship on fire, and had therefore sent them in a tailspin crashing into another world.

But if Raoul still had horrors about that event, he didn't show it. Instead, he laughed some himself, stood up—offering Christine a hand while he did so—and remarked, "Right you are, Miss Daaé. Right you are. And even knowing that, will you still perhaps come away with me?"

And though Christine did take Raoul's outstretched palm, and allowed him to help her to her feet easily enough, there was something in his words that gave her pause.

The way he'd said "come away with me"... why, it almost seemed to be a romantic uttering of some kind: something that Christine couldn't easily make sense of at all, for she and Raoul only knew each other just barely, but...

It would have been an outright lie, if she said she didn't feel some sort of hushed affection for him herself: for the Light that she had an understanding and camaraderie with above all others, and who shown with much of the same warmth that Christine liked to believe she herself did.

In all the times that they'd been together, Raoul had been so good to her, Christine reflected—now even allowing him to lead her towards the space ship they would depart in.

And there was... such grief in him, for what he was going through because of his brother, that Christine's heart always seemed to go out to him.

No doubt his bond with Philippe was the closest one he had in the world, Christine understood, as she just made it into the cargo bay of the ship, and had the fortune of seeing the door there shut mechanically: much as if it was an eye winking closed.

If Christine... if Christine had lost her nearest relationship in the world—that which she shared with her father, and that which _had_ almost been taken away from her once—she didn't know _what_ she would have done.

And to know that Raoul had been surviving without a functioning _Philippe_ for so long, the Daaé girl found once again that she wanted to comfort him with the somewhat promise she had given him earlier.

"Raoul," Christine breathed—taking a seat in one of the diamond-shaped pilot seats before her, and having the benefit of seeing Raoul lean his head back in ecstasy as she spoke: apparently the idea that he really liked the sound of her voice _wasn't_ just her imagination—"I don't think that Philippe's in control of himself at all. I think that maybe we can help him, if-"

Whatever Christine might have been about to say then, was instantly drowned out as Raoul made his way over to the ship's A.I. and began using the noisy autopilot to get them heading towards the world "Enchanted Dominion".

And at the loud beeping noises he had just made by his ministrations, Raoul smiled at Christine—embarrassedly and apologetically—and quickly hurried to her side: bringing her a water bottle as he did so: it was going to be a long ride, and she might very much need the one bottle to hydrate herself later, after all.

"I appreciate where you're coming from, Christine," Raoul answered her earnestly, kneeling down in front of her now as he gently took one of her hands into his own.

And with a strange bout of horror, Christine found herself remembering the red chess piece that Erik—the former Darkness—had been fingering between his hands before.

The red rook wasn't so much different from her own hand, Christine found. So if Erik were here with her now, would he have tried fashioning her hand into one of those pieces or some such thing?

And those were... those were thoughts she shouldn't have been having in the slightest, Christine berated herself harshly! She was enraged at herself for thinking so poorly and suspiciously of a fellow Light when they all needed to be sticking together now... even if they _had_ once been for the Darkness.

"Christine?" Raoul's voice sounded during her panic attack, almost seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time—or more accurately: under water, though that couldn't have been at all right—as he looked over her worriedly. "Are you quite well? You look very pale, and-"

Christine tried to reach for Raoul wherever she was now at, but she found that she wasn't in complete control of her body at all, it seemed—how awful! Was this how some of those they had saved before had felt, when they'd been possessed by their enemies in the past?—but finally she was able to bump her arms into his face.

And looking back on it, Christine supposed it was quite a miracle that she hadn't, awfully, smacked him outright then, for them fighting each other was exactly what the enemy wanted, wasn't it?!

"Christine?" Raoul questioned again, gently taking her warring arms into his own—though sparing a look towards the outside of the ship as he did so, to maybe see if they were anywhere a Darkness that might have been affecting her, Christine guessed—as he leaned his forehead against hers: trying to calm her down in any way that he could.

"Just what is going on with you? It wasn't in my knowledge that Princesses of Heart could be affected by something like this, howeve-"

"Oh, Raoul! It's just a nightmare!" Christine exclaimed now, calling her weapon to hand—so that she could use it to fend off the Darkness if it came back again—and eyeing the person fretting before her with torn eyes.

"It seems to me that maybe we stumbled on something right, with our suspicious of Philippe! Why else would I being attacked like this right now, when I'm trying to make sense of it all?! It's not a coincidence. Nor is how this very subject has gotten interrupted so in the past, my friend."

And suddenly, just as she'd gotten all of those words out with shaking breaths, Christine found that she was being hugged.

For what, exactly, she didn't know. And she instantly began wondering about Raoul's good senses (or lack thereof), for what if she began thrashing about and trying to hurt him again with him so close? She even had a Keyblade clutched in her hand at the very moment, for goodness sake!

But as she heard their monitor explaining that they'd arrived at one of the Princesses' worlds—not the one they'd been aiming for, but still one of them all the same—she thought she understood.

Oh: Raoul needed comfort, seeing as they were now at a place Philippe could have easily been targeting at the very moment: something far too terrifying for even _Christine_ to begin to comprehend, but somehow even worse when she tried to put herself in Raoul's shoes.

So it only made sense, then, that Raoul seemed _happy_ that she was saying it wasn't his brother's fault at all.

Personally, Christine had been doubting that Philippe was responsible for a long time; it was just a feeling that she had, but she knew that the others would probably be less inclined to hear that idea out, seeing as how they'd seen how blind ambition had led good people astray in the past.

Feeling very much awkward—but somehow completely _right_ in the same instance—Christine patted the crying man on the back some, before quietly whispering into his ear,

"Silly, Raoul. Isn't the luxury of being able to keep faith the whole reason that we're _fighting_ this war? Come along now, and let's enter this world here. If we move quickly, we might be able to convince the Queen to hand Alice over to us trustworthy Keyblade wielders, instead of the suspect one."

And Raoul's only response to that, was to pull away from Christine—run a hand through her hair some—and smile: as he continued to kneel down before her, like she was his Princess that he was swearing fealty to.

...

When the two Keyblade wielders landed in the new world—via a light show that instantly made Christine wonder if it was _Light_ itself, and to try and see if some of her powers had been taxed during it—it was to find that things were completely different from when they'd traveled there last.

Christine shared a look with Raoul, mentally trying to ask him if he remembered Wonderland having such an orange overcast before, or there being such fine lines in some of the leaves and mushrooms that surrounded them—but he seemed just as lost as Christine herself felt.

Had they mayhaps stumbled into a wrong world by accident?

Taking Raoul's hand in her own—and being quite surprised when she did so, for Christine realized with a start that she was looking to protecting him in this world much more than he should her—she began leading him to where there looked to be some blue sort of arch in the air?

The thing was quite a ways a way, she could tell, but it was the only idea of where to go that Christine had, and so she was determined that they would make it there.

Everything had changed in Wonderland, it seemed, but maybe the residents themselves hadn't? Like the blue Caterpillar she had once met in the place, maybe that was what she was seeing now?

"Christine," Raoul questioned the beauty, as she began leading him away—her carrying his elbow in her hand, the way that a gentleman would usually do for a lady. "Are you quite certain you know where are you going? I fear this may be some sort of trick. Time works differently in the other worlds, I know, but for it to have changed this much in such a short amount of time seems all sorts of suspicious to me."

"Hush, dear," Christine argued with her friend slightly, tapping the underside of his elbow in punishment some as she did so: something that had the affect of making Raoul smile largely, as he must have found something within Christine to completely trust then.

"I'm sure that it is fine. And we are Keyblade wielders, are we not? And so… I'm afraid that we must brave tricky situations like this all the time for the worlds' sake, and so it is no different now.

"We mustn't keep Alice waiting too much longer either, I'm afraid."

"Right you are there," Raoul was quick to answer her back, a certain twinkle in his eye and compliment in his voice that Christine couldn't quite figure out then.

But as it happened, Christine was struck with the bizarre idea that she wanted to try and ferret such things out about Raoul in the future… if the worlds would even end up _having_ a future after this, anyway.

And as if to prove that her fear of the Darknesses' winning wasn't _completely_ out of the question, the winding cornsilk path that the two had been following close on chose that exact moment to give away, and to have them end up in an entirely new area: this one being that of a room, with a checkered yellow and red floor, and a high table that Christine instantly recognized from her last visit to Wonderland.

"Oh, Raoul, look there! I bet on that table are the supplements that will make us grow big and small. I had thought that maybe we'd entered this world without having to attempt such things again, but we'd better get at them now before it's too late. Fast now!"

And before Christine could second-guess herself—or mourn the fact that she'd lost sight of her Caterpillar friend that she'd meant to get to: one that Christine had been certain would put her and Raoul both on the right path to finding Alice—she was jumping in her ball gown, and trying desperately to reach the bottle of medicine that seemed just barely out of her reach.

It was a massive thing, surprisingly, and something that at once told the Princess that they must have all ready been turned small upon first entering the world, and therefore now needed to grow big to be able to continue on further.

And it was only _because_ the drink she aimed for was so gargantuan, that Christine was able to get a hold on the thing and use it as leverage to swing herself up onto the table there.

There had been no chair to aid her in her endeavor or anything like it, and so the blonde girl was quite pleased with herself when she ended up being successful, actually.

Maybe they hadn't been wrong in calling her—or Meg, by some extension—a Keyblade wielder yet!

"Raoul, you must get up here!" Christine called to her companion below her, cupping her hands over her mouth so she could be better heard, as she got on her hands and knees and peered at him from over the table.

"Just there, on the other side of the table, I see the door that we must now go through, but it's much too large for us to push at this size! And in fact… I think I may need your help even when I'm my normal size. So please come help me, my friend."

Raoul certainly didn't have to be told twice, Christine saw straight away. Before, he had seemed to be allowing her to take the lead—for she could now tell that he had the utmost confidence in her, and maybe he'd even wanted her to grow within herself some—but where true matters lied, he definitely wasn't going to leave her out to dry.

So that was why, dear readers, Raoul didn't even pause an instant to come to Christine's aid then. He kicked off one of the table's legs, somewhat parkour style, and then swiftly began grasping for that same medicine bottle himself.

And Christine knew, as he began swinging in midair just as she had, that he'd easily be able to get atop the table himself.

But not seeing what the point in that would be—since she had a heart that could guide him in many a way—Christine grabbed onto Raoul's outstretched palm, and she began helping him to her with a strength she would never have imagined in herself.

Raoul, too, even seemed surprised by it all, when he finally landed on the blue surface—somewhat gasping for breath—and looked at her with admiring eyes.

Christine's eyes, however, shined, and she remembered now the story one of her distant relatives had told her about people's hearts being connected.

And Raoul… she'd just been able to aid him so easily—and there seemed to be so much Light and importance in all their interactions together—so was this what that story had been talking about? Were she and Raoul's hearts connected somehow?

"I can't believe that you are so winded, great sir!" Christine gently teased her great friend, as she chose that moment to sit down beside him—her knees drawn up underneath her chin, and a look of complete ease passing over her face as she continued to eye Raoul. "And here you are supposed to be one of the Keyblade prodigies that the Master has ever known! Actually, I believe I might have just bested you, sir."

A playful expression alighted within Raoul's eyes then, and it was something that Christine was so very glad to see, for if her being like this could chase away the ghosts he felt about his brother, then… well, she'd most likely begin behaving this way forever…

…Even if Christine did get the feeling that if Raoul had been anyone else, he probably would have all ready begun tickling her in retribution.

But, no: even with a mirth he seemed barely able to contain, he was still very much the Raoul that Christine had come to know over the last few months. And that Raoul was chivalrous, proper, and good: something that always made Christine beam when she was around him, for he best represented the Light she loved from a foregone era. A Light they were very much still fighting for to this day.

"You might just be right about that, mademoiselle. However, I do think that you have one benefit on me when it comes to this climbing: your feathery dress, ironically, actually allows you to move much more fluidly than the hunk of metal I'm wearing allows me."

And Christine could tell that Raoul was poking fun at her himself now—as he placed a tentative arm around her shoulder, and then moved to help her to her feet—all the while that the door they'd sensed behind them before kept opening little by little: Christine could see this from the corner of her eye.

And though she supposed she maybe should have been worrying about it, the fact that it was light that spilled through the crevice—not darkness—reassured the young girl substantially.

And so, she allowed herself an instance to shake the bottom of her skirts in response to that, and to try and confuse Raoul into thinking his statement was wrong—as all the layers of she was wearing normally should have slowed a person down—though really he'd stumbled upon the truth much more surely than he thought he had. The Three Good Fairies had enchanted Christine's outfit, after all.

And now, the door behind the two soon-to-be-lovers was opened even more fully; a shock of navy easily being seen somewhere amidst all the light coming from that other area—something that then made Christine nervous, as she began fearing that maybe she'd been wrong in not sensing any Darkness coming from there before—and as it became even more noticeable, Christine pulled Raoul's one arm about her to use as protection.

Old habits, of being a Princess in need of protection died hard, apparently.

And as for Raoul's other arm? Well, Christine ended up helping him in pointing it forward: it was her way of trying to tell him to summon his Keyblade now.

And Raoul must have realized that that was what Christine was asking from him, because sure enough—just as his arm moved upward even moreso, in order to counter a possible villain—his Keyblade, _Light Protector in a Somewhat Muted Darkness_ , sprung to life in his outstretched hand.

During the flash of light it emitted when coming to life, Christine was able to take in the icy planes of it with adoring eyes; it was just so _beautiful_. However, it made the Princess' heart break, too.

Raoul's home world, it seemed—that surely his Keyblade was based off of his thoughts of it, just as Christine's own was reminiscent of her own home—was just so different from the green valleys by the sea that she knew.

And once… all of this was over, would she ever even see Raoul again?

Christine frowned—in thinking that that answer was undoubtedly "no"—and so she wasn't as regal as she might have otherwise been, when the friend she'd been waiting for the entire time to appear finally showed himself to her.

"Caterpillar," Raoul spoke, seeming to read Christine's mind (and to say the name that she ought to have been doing then, but was unable to for some reason). "What brings you here? My young friend, Miss Daaé, meant to meet with you when she saw you just a bit ago, but then we found ourselves here instead.

"And with that in mind, good friend, could you now oblige the Princess with a meeting—now that you both miraculously find yourselves in this same vicinity?"

"Raoul…" Christine said with awe in _her_ voice now, feeling very much fortunate to be around him all over again.

All ready, with his well thought out words, he'd spun the situation exactly into the one that they needed it to be right now.

And even with her own once stressed upbringing of being a Princess—and therefore learning all the manners and frivolities that came along with that—Christine didn't know if she herself could have ever capitalized on the situation like this at _all_.

And sadly, the Princess now found herself wondering why Raoul hadn't been able to sway Philippe away from his ways with such careful thoughts like this; perhaps he was just that far gone?

But at once remembering the situation that they found themselves in—and the reason that they had come to this place to begin with—Christine bowed humbly to the denizen who seemed to be looking Raoul over with keen eyes—his antennae flicking from side to side as he did so—and asked the most important question she could manage, when she whispered: "Old friend, I beg you to tell me that our enemy, Philippe, has not yet been here, and if he has been… I pray that you did not give up my fellow Princess of Heart to him."

Apparently the Caterpillar hadn't exactly been expecting this line of questioning, and he even seemed to be put-out by it a bit, Christine saw as she tried to read him—her eyes as wide as saucers as she did so—and oh how she feared.

Puffing out a little cloud of smoke from his bong—something that Raoul didn't look pleased with in the slightest, which in turn made Christine wonder if maybe Raoul's life had been full of more Dark things before than he'd let on—the Caterpillar answered rather coldly, "If Alice had been taken away by this evil Keyblade Master, then I think you'd find that it was the Queen of Heart's rule that had spirited her away. Not me."

The Caterpillar moved fast then, as he slithered past Christine—nearly knocking her off the table as he did so, something that could have easily succeeded in breaking her neck, if Raoul hadn't been there to steady her—almost as if he meant to jump to the floor below them, and find some sort of other door to exit through, just be done with them all.

Maybe… maybe having Raoul summon his weapon hadn't been the best idea, then, Christine considered—just as Raoul seemed angry enough then to gut the creature's stomach to smithereens if he had to?

"I believe," the well-trained Keyblade wielder began reading their "friend" the riot act, with an edge in his voice that Christine recognized well, for she herself often sounded like that when she went from someone far too civil for their own good, to a force to be reckoned with.

It was only when something she loved was being threatened that she was like this, however, and Raoul—it seemed—was much the same way.

The hand that he had put close to Christine's neck to keep her from freefalling was still there, after all, and it was even shaking the slightest bit.

Oh, Raoul… had he been that greatly worried for her? Christine's heart swelled at the idea that he could care about her so much all ready, but she also wondered if maybe there was _some_ way that this whole situation could be remedied.

Just what more could she do? That accursed door that had let the Caterpillar in—and clearly not in the most agreeable mood—still seemed to be opening more and more, and Christine worried that the next thing she would see coming through it would be that damned chess piece that Erik had obtained, and that it would somehow tell them their time was up, and that they would have to go meet Philippe at the Keyblade Graveyard now

Oh, she could very well lose her mind with the madness of it all!

"Caterpillar, as I seem to recall, the very kind Princess of Heart just asked you a question! May I remind you that there are only seven of them in the world, and that she is also one of the ones that holds up your world and gives you life at this very moment! I believe that you could give her _some_ respect for that, if not for everything else she's done for the worlds, friend!"

"And so you are planning on letting the Princesses of Heart lead everything this time. Is that it?" entered a new, accented voice into the conversation.

Alice, Christine recognized the girl as she maneuvered through the doorway and out of the darkness that had been behind her!

A much older Alice from the one that she had met last, Christine saw—taking in the girl's much taller stature and fuller form: perhaps Raoul had been onto something about time now moving awkwardly in the worlds now, after all—but definitely the same curious girl.

...A girl who seemed to have many walls around her heart now, Christine thought, for she seemed to be gauging the Caterpillar's expression for some wisdom on the current situation, and was even carrying a sword in hand, however… Christine could most definitely understand why.

Not liking what the Queen of Hearts had forced them through the last time they'd been here, either, Christine acted to make sure that Alice knew that _they_ had nothing but her absolute protection on their minds.

"Yes, that is right. As a Princess of Heart myself, I can speak for Mousier de Chagny's honesty when it comes to his words, Alice. These new Keyblade wielders aren't planning to use us as we've been done in the past, either."

For a moment, to perhaps add something more to her words, Christine thought about reaching out to the other girl and touching her reassuringly.

But in sensing that Alice must have received many lessons lately, and had always had quite the keen mind—and therefore knew how one was meant to conduct themselves—she thought better of it.

Raoul, on the other hand, seemed to be thinking of something else entirely now—his momentarily curved hand resting beneath his mustache, as he pondered something deeply.

And Christine, remembering the unfortunate encounter they'd almost had with the Caterpillar because of Raoul's Keyblade before—her fault, she knew—gently massaged the top of Raoul's hand, so that he dismissed his weapon at her bequest.

And as Raoul allowed it to happen without even the slightest protest (though he did seem to look at Christine worriedly for a moment, as if to ask her how he should protect her without it), the Princess found that she was falling head over heels even more in love with him for his belief in her.

"Forgive me, for if I am changing the conversation too greatly from the one about Alice joining us, but Christine... I just thought of something. Doesn't Alice now look quite a bit like the rook that Erik stole from Philippe?"

There was a brief moment where Christine thought about slapping Raoul then, in thinking that he was clearly looking at Alice's new body _much_ too much to be able to make _that_ kind of conclusion—and likewise, the Caterpillar didn't seem to like what Raoul was saying either, and curled protectively in front of Alice; meanwhile, the younger girl ran a hand over her shimmering blade with a smirk on her face—but when she really allowed herself to see what Alice looked like in the current room they were in's cast, she thought she understood Raoul's intent perfectly.

"You- you're right. Her blue dress _does_ sort of look red in this lighting. Do you think, then, that Erik was perhaps hinting then that we need to bring Alice over to our side with what he did? That maybe she's the game changer in Philippe's plan?"

There was a bit more to it than that that Christine wasn't saying, like how she thought Erik's grabbing of that piece had somehow succeeded in turning Alice—and this whole world by extension—older somehow. Stranger things had happened, after all, and they were being taught all the time about how everything in their world was connected…

In fact, such thoughts were almost even enough to make Christine feel badly for questioning Erik's intentions before... Almost, anyway. His amazing gambits still somewhat served to unnerve her.

"Actually, if I may," Alice stepped in, though stopping to place a comforting hand atop her insect friend, to tell him that she was fine on her own now and that he could go back to his home now, it seemed: the place where Christine suspected he really wanted to be anyway.

"Some power seems to be telling me that it might actually be this dastardly 'Philippe' of yours that helped you out. No doubt he _is_ fighting against something Dark within him, but he sometimes might accomplish winning against it, as well. Why, even the Queen of Hearts can look at things a certain way and do right. Sometimes."

As Christine looked at the other Princess with amazed, trusting eyes then—for she had had that type of outer-body experience herself, while telling impossible information she should have had no way of knowing otherwise: and thus she now believed that Alice had to be onto something—Christine found that her ears were focused on Raoul the entire time, who had just let out a starling loud gasp.

And now... now he was even on his knees on the table below them, sobbing.

Christine smiled prettily at Alice, to get across that she'd be returning to her and the situation at hand in just a moment's time, and focused completely on the man she'd come to love.

"She's right, dear. I certainly experienced Philippe _losing_ against the Darkness—the Foreteller—on the way here, as he possessed me and perhaps tried to keep us from getting her and reaching our goal. But I think we've seen him warning us, too: like when he allowed Erik to have that chess piece and to play against him to begin with. Were it not for that, we wouldn't now have this clue that we do."

And at her earlier promise completely being confirmed now, Raoul pulled Christine towards him even further, and wrapped his arms around her in a hug: desperately needing the moral support then.

Christine comforted him back as best she could—surprising herself some, even, as she kissed the man on the cheek and whispered sweet nothings in his ear; and even Alice had dropped down beside them so that the two of them were reflected in her blade: almost as if to say that if they could be seen with such Light there, there had to be hope for such Light being seen elsewhere, too—and marveled at just how much Raoul had been suffering before all this, but also keeping it together for everyone else's sake.

And so Christine ended up helping Raoul to _his_ feet then—the first time she had ever done such a thing, and something that would end up changing their dynamic greatly, and even how Christine would face the War when it came—and she pressed her lips chastely against his own.

Mainly Christine had done this—though she did figure she had many feelings for Raoul within her—to support him.

But when she noticed the taste of his lips seemed to be frigid spice and moist sweetness joined together—something he seemed to be appreciating, too—Christine found that she was also able to find hope in this situation. She also found home.

Home was wherever Raoul and she were together—where they could combine their experiences of the artic and greens effortlessly—and could always better each other.

And the oncoming War notwithstanding, Christine knew that she and Raoul would eventually find their peace together to hold onto it forever. She even felt such a thing now.

That… and the arm of the other Princess of Heart wrapping around her shoulder, as she pulled away from Raoul—trying her best to try and help out the situation, too.

They really _did_ have a chance, didn't they? Christine understood this better than ever, as she looked into Raoul's love-filled blue eyes: something that made her see more to herself than she'd ever thought there before.

And maybe there was even more she could do for the War, too: something Christine wouldn't have even dreamed possible before, but was now easily within her grasp.

For with Raoul, even something like the time moving forward in this world didn't seem so daunting.

 **Author's Note: If you guys couldn't tell, the Alice and Wonderland segment in this was based on the Tim Burton movie and not the original:)**

 **Well, there you have it, folks. My strange Phantom/KH crossover. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing, and you guys could enjoy it even the slightest bit.**

 **Just a few things I'd like to touch on here, if that's all right:**

 **Erik… Erik is essentially Riku in this story (someone in canon who has the power of Darkness—and actually was kind of evil for a short time… though he was nowhere near as evil as Erik is usually—but ends up redeeming himself, and using his Dark powers for the Light. Or, as he puts it: walking the Road to Dawn. He also had a thing for Kairi once, similarly to how Erik likes Christine a bit here, and is probably about as sharp as Erik is in Phantom… almost.), which is… which is cool, I guess. Though to be honest, I somewhat have to laugh at the idea of our dear Phantom here EVER fighting for the Light (though to be fair, if the choice was between that and the ENTIRE multiverse possibly being destroyed, who in the world would choose the latter?), but this is probably the only story I'll ever do where I don't make Erik evil, so enjoy it while you can, people.**

 **(Also, I just realized that it's absolutely HILARIOUS that Erik is Riku in this story, as in a KH fic I'm doing—where it's a Kingdom Hearts retelling of the Phantom of the Opera—Riku is Erik there. And likewise, Kairi is Christine in that story, just like Christine is sort of Kairi here. XD)**

 **And Philippe… it's so WEIRD having him be evil in this, and freakin' Xehanort, as opposed to Erik. But once again, this was my attempt of doing ONE story where it would kind of make sense where he wasn't evil, and so Philippe easily became my villain after that. It's not even really him, anyway, but the Sixth Foreteller. Also, this allowed me to develop Raoul a lot here, so hopefully it kind of works. –shrugs-**

 **Well, that's about everything, guys. Take care, and thanks for reading if you did! I'm going to go take a much-needed nap now, and wonder why the KH plotline is so hard to get across and why I decided to torture myself by doing this (seriously. I didn't think my Author's Notes would be anywhere NEAR this long). Good night.**

 **Edit: Oh, and if anyone's wondering, the idea for this craziness came into my mind when I was watching the E3 2015 Kingdom Hearts III trailer—where Xehanort IS playing a game of chess that hints at his future plans there—and somehow I ended up imagining ERIK playing the chess game for some reason (probs because even with as hyped as I am for this game that I've been waiting literally ten years for, I can't get the phandom off of my mind lately), and now here we are. Yep!**

 **Edit Deux: I was very close to not posting this story at all, btw. In fact, I still kind of wonder if I should've done so (as the KH lore is SO complex, and I kind of feel bad for this insanity I had to subject you guys to with it), but… I did write this ting, and Raoul/Christine do need more love, so hopefully it was worth it (if not, I might just end up taking it down)…**


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